European Gum Health Day 2017:

‘Fighting periodontal disease together’

European Gum Health Day 2017 on May 12 sought to raise public awareness of gingivitis and periodontitis across Europe.

The EFP and
27 of its affiliated national perio societies organised events and media communications to highlight the importance of healthy gums.

The slogan for the event is ‘Fighting periodontal disease together.’

European Gum Health Day (formerly the European Day of
Periodontology) is an international awareness day held on
May 12, promoted by the EFP and organised by its affiliated national perio societies.

Its aim is to increase public awareness of the seriousness of gum disease, the health problems associated with it, and the importance of maintaining healthy gums.

“Fighting gum disease together” is the slogan for European Gum Health Day 2017 – a slogan that embodies the EFP’s strategic vision of “Periodontal health for a better life.”

Fighting gum disease together is about treatment: The whole dental team – general dentists, periodontists, other specialists, hygienists, nurses, and auxiliaries – collaborating to provide patients with the best oral healthcare.

Fighting gum disease together is about prevention: Providing the public with crucial information about oral hygiene and the steps to take to prevent gum disease and thereby helping managing perio-related chronic conditions.

Fighting gum disease together is about awareness: Educating the public about gingivitis and periodontitis and their implications for general health, such as their links to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

European Gum Health Day 2017 is the fourth EFP-promoted annual awareness day organised by the national perio societies.

Last year’s event, which used the slogan “Healthy gums for a better life,” was a huge success: 21 of the EFP-affiliated national societies organised a wide range of public-awareness activities, offered free periodontal screenings, and generated a large amount of media coverage.

The EFP produced a wide range of materials for the national societies to use for the events that they were organising for May 12. These included guidelines, logos, graphics, and press releases that can be freely used, translated and adapted to local needs.

As part of the European Gum Health Day 2017 campaign, the EFP and the national perio societies encouraged health professionals to sign the EFP Manifesto: Perio and General Health, a call to action for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of gum disease.

“The public at large might not realise the importance of proper oral health, so it is time for us to find the best way to speak to the people,” says Filippo Graziani, the EFP’s co-ordinator of European Gum Health Day 2017. “We need to think of people not patients – this should be the approach of our communications.”

Summary

In November 2017, Filippo Graziani, European Gum Health Day 2017 coordinator, Xavier Struillou, European Gum Health Day 2018 coordinator, Santi Quinones, EFP communications coordinator collated a report on the activities that took place. The report also includes an annex detailing the activities in the countries that took part.